Connect

Search

First-Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms

It feels so good to finally be sharing a bump update and all the fun that comes with first-trimester pregnancy symptoms. I know personally when I found out we had a little one on the way I hit Google hard and wanted to know everything there was to know about pregnancy. Quickly I learned that Google, while it can be helpful, can also unnecessarily scare the hell out of you! Pregnancy is already such a vulnerable journey that reading too much into all the information that’s out there can actually do more harm than good. If that’s currently you, definitely take a step back and start trying to take everything you read online with a grain of salt. Every experience is personal and unique and only you know what’s best for you and your baby.

With that said, one of my favorite things to do during my first-trimester was read my favorite bloggers posts on their experiences. It made it feel less medicinal and more like a talk between girlfriends. I would read the posts and nod my head yes in agreeance – sometimes thank my lucky stars I wasn’t going through what they had to endure – and jot down their recommendations like I’d be quizzed on it soon. Hopefully, this post can be the same for you!

How did you find out you were expecting?

We found out very early about baby. I took a test the day I was supposed to get my period but the line was super faint that I sorta dismissed it. From my research, I knew that didn’t mean I was totally out but I also wasn’t trying to get my hopes up so I took another the next day and then another the following – it took a lot to convince me. The line got progressively darker and I progressively more excited. You can read a little more about it in our pregnancy announcement.

How did you tell your husband?

Hubby got no special reveal. He just got a very excited wife coming out of the bathroom holding a positive pregnancy test saying, “I think we’re having a baby.” There is no way I could have held it in long enough to plan something cute.

When is baby due?

Baby is due March 2019. Currently, I’m 20 weeks (I know, took me long enough to write this recap) so we’re halfway there!

Do you know the sex?

Yes!! And we are SO excited! To be honest – and I say this with all my heart – we did not care one bit whether it was a boy or a girl. I didn’t even think about it before we found out. All we cared about was health and that’s the honest truth. BUT now that we know it’s great to be able to start planning and thinking of nursery ideas. Stay tuned for the gender reveal! And leave me your guess in a comment below!!

First-Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms

I’d say my symptoms started around week 7. Right away the exhaustion hit and I was falling asleep around 7:30 pm every night. I have never been a day napper but during this time I’d have to sit down and close my eyes for a bit just to recoup. One day I actually crawled back to bed and decided the day was canceled. I was also extremely bloated and nauseous all day long but never really threw up except for a handful of times. I figured out quickly that if I ate and brushed my teeth right after it would cause me to throw up so I stopped doing that immediately. Even now I still get the nauseous feeling if I forget and brush my teeth too close after a meal.

Another thing that happened right away was my skin clearing up. I stopped using a lot of my normal skincare products because some ingredients weren’t good for baby so it was nice to see my skin not flip out (I have very temperamental skin).

During week 8 I had about 3-4 nights of crazy nightmares. They were so vivid and all had to do with someone trying to kill me! I know. Cray Cray. Either I was being chased around in some haunted house or I was with family and we were being chased together. They were weird and I was happy to see them stop when they did. I also started waking up around 4 a.m every night to go to the bathroom.

Week 9 started the headaches. I’m not prone to headaches so this was very different for me. I’d wake up with a headache and go to bed with one. This came and went and from time to time I still get them. I didn’t really do anything to alleviate the pain except drink water and rest. I know you can take Tylenol but I just didn’t want to.

Aversions

Figuring out what to eat was one of the hardest things about the first-trimester because everything sounded disgusting! I couldn’t stand the smell or taste of coffee, chicken was gross, even my beloved avocados didn’t sound good. I wish I could tell you I was totally healthy but I gave up and just listened to my cravings, which lead me to Taco Bell 3 times one week! The last time I had Taco Bell was during college so ya, that was different. I would literally wake up and NEED to go get their tacos. Luckily I am back to normal and pretty much just hungry all the time. And I can eat chicken again.

Things that helped with comfort & nausea

Turn on your JavaScript to view content

My sister-in-law was super sweet and gifted me a pregnancy pillow right at the start of my first-trimester and it has ended up being one of my favorite things. I know some people love or hate them but I love mine and I think it has a lot to do with the shape. It’s comfortable on my neck and snuggling with it just feels nice on my growing belly.

When it comes to nausea, I don’t think there’s anything that could completely get rid of it but here are a few things I did that helped me out. Maybe they’ll work for you too!

Eat right when you wake up. Raisin bread became my morning go-to during my first trimester. I would toast it and add a bit of honey on top. That was all I could stomach and it helped a lot. I tried saltines but because I was always so thirsty, those didn’t work. I heard Ritz crackers are a good alternative but I didn’t try them.

Ginger tea. I almost always had ginger tea with my raisin bread in the mornings. It was a good (although not great) replacement for my morning coffee and it also helped with my stomach. Whenever I felt like the nausea was starting to kick in, I’d make myself another cup.

Stand up slowly. I had to learn to give myself time standing up in the mornings or else it was straight to the bathroom! I really did this every time I got up from sitting or else I’d feel faint or like throwing up.

Fresh fruit in the mornings. Watermelon also became my favorite thing to eat in the mornings. After my raisin bread, I’d wait a bit then have a bowl of watermelon. It was so refreshing and worked to combat how thirsty I was all the time.

Carry snacks. I was really bad at remembering to do this but when I did, it was a lifesaver. Little packages of assorted peanuts or dried fruit were my favorite. They helped a lot if I was going to be away from home for long periods of time.

Charcoal toothpaste. I know that might sound weird but because brushing my teeth with my regular toothpaste caused me to throw up, I had to find an alternative. Charcoal toothpaste was a lot gentler on my stomach and didn’t make me feel nauseous. I tried this one and liked it.

Find prenatals that don’t make you sick. I tried two different types before I settled on these. I have loved them and they don’t make me sick! With everything else going on, taking your prenatal vitamins shouldn’t feel like a chore. I like to take them after I’ve eaten something but I believe you can also take them on an empty stomach.

Stretch Marks

I wasted no time buying products for the prevention of stretch marks. I have been using this body cream and this body oil all over my belly and legs since I found out I was pregnant. I purchased the 3-pack of the body lotion online and went through one bottle my first trimester so I’m thinking 3 should be just fine for the entire pregnancy.

Things I wish I knew about the first trimester

It’s all a waiting game – and it can get stressful! I had to wait about 2 weeks to actually see my doctor for confirmation. When we finally were able to see her, I was not as far along as we thought so we had to do blood work and go back the next week. That week was torture not knowing what was going on. It’s hard not to get into your head too much while you wait that’s why I recommend staying off Google if you’re going through the same thing. It’ll only stress you out more.

There’s also not that many doctors appointments. I’d be lying if I said thoughts like, “Am I still pregnant?” didn’t creep into my head from time to time because you’re not showing and some days you feel totally normal. At least from my experience, I didn’t feel sick every day. Yes I had all the symptoms I mentioned above but they weren’t 24/7. As I got further along, I’d go two days feeling totally fine then the symptoms would start back up again.

Phew, that was a lot! If you made it this far, you deserve a donut. I hope in some way me sharing my experience can help you get through this time of adjustment, anxiousness, and overall excitement – that’s if you’re pregnant of course! If you just read to know a little more about first-trimester pregnancy symptoms, then maybe bookmark this post for when you need it again.

I’m so thankful you shared a bit of your day with me. Keep coming back for more baby updates, style posts (bump and non-bump related), and seasonal content!